HAMPTON — Peter Bartoloni, the 71-year-old Hampton man who allegedly killed his roommate with a sledgehammer this past fall, was indicted on murder charges at Rockingham County Superior Court this month.

Bartoloni is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Robert “Bob” Roderick, 56, of 19 M Street in Hampton. The brutal killing shocked many neighbors and friends, including Maggie Gauron, who appeared at Bartoloni's video arraignment.

Gauron said Roderick was so disabled by a previous injury that he had no use of his left side.

A third roommate, Scott Anderson, found Roderick dead on the couch in the middle of the night and called Hampton Police.

Court documents state that Bartoloni knowingly caused the death of Roderick by striking him repeatedly with a sledgehammer on Oct. 3.